An intense energy had welled and swirled within the spirit entity since he had entered through the gloomy portal of the house. This house of malevolence, born of greed and selfishness. There were enough rooms for five whole families to live a life of secluded comfort in. AND yet, true to form, only two rooms were used. The rest of this vast property set aside for its material value as an asset for its owner and master. The spirit gazed upwards towards an apartment on the 2nd floor above. Up to it led a magnificent seven feet wide gallery staircase. There was an old tea chest abandoned many years previously in the centre of the huge entrance lobby. He dragged himself and all the chains and irons that bound him over to it and sat upon it. His energy quickly renewed but he knew he would need a great deal of energy with which to deal with the ogre which his partner in life had become, so he sat and eagerly awaited his opportunity to correct and change Ebenezer Scrooge (when the silly man deemed it at last time to give up the pursuit of wealth that day.) In the eerie glow that permeated from himself, he could see the street door through which the dreadful old miser would enter On his side of the door were two large nuts that held the lion-headed door knocker on. One of the clever spirit tricks he had learned seven years ago was the ability to enter an object and look through it. In his mind now he entered the nuts and bolts and viewed through the Lions head the winter scene outside. Oh but it was bitterly cold out there, snow lay several inches thick on the neglected stair and vast portal grounds outside. “Here he comes now.” Said the spirit out loud. “Jacob?” said a trembling voice. “Yes, your redemption chance has arrived, you undeserving miserable sinner.” Said the ghost in a very whispered quiet voice for now was not the time to reveal the intents and purpose of his presence. scrooge had shakily inserted the key in the lock, turned it in a state of severe agitation and entered his property so quickly that his repulsion drove Jacob from the door knocker and returned him in a very weak state to the safety of his tea chest. His energy thus depleted he sat invisible to the recovering wreck of a man that stood nervously in front of him. In the next split second a very sad memory came into the sight of the spirit as a spectre of his bodies last earthly journey re-enacted itself in that spacious foyer. His hearse with a horse at a fair gallop sped from the doorway right through Scrooge and then up the wide wonderful staircase to enter one of the rooms, through a tight, shut, locked and bolted, the heavy door above. Halfway up those stairs, The driver, with a flourish, had removed his hat and waved it mock salute whilst he called out “Merry Christmas Guvenor, Merry Christmas!” Jacob remembered the event. The haste to be shot of him. The driver had another three corpses to deliver to the churchyard and time was indeed money. Besides, it was Christmas and the driver had his mind fixed on spending his evening imbibing vast quantities of ale in the company of many lewd loose serving wenches. Heaven for the likes of him. Jacob watched the very slow ascent of scrooge up those stairs. The vision of Marley in the knocker and his coffin on the speeding hearse had unsettled him greatly. “i should find him in receptive mood, when I join him in his composure in a few minutes time.” Thought Jacob as he sat quietly on his tea chest, feeling the resurgence of the restless energy within his spirit.” In his contemplations, he thought “It will take more than me and a seven-year-old replay to change this reluctant old sinner. What will change the mind of this treacherous, devious , ‘failure out of success’ man? I know he thought “I will force him to look at his past and at his present and show him how he caused such misery and unhappiness when it would have been far less effort to cause great joy and merriment to the world. Then I will show him the future reward for his lack of care and kindness to his fellow men.” Having formulated his plan he knew he would need the help of the spirits of Past, Present & Future to do these necessary things. “Alas,” he thought “in life, I was just the same as this miserable wretch and so the master will not let be berate the behaviour of this like-minded soul.” Jacob sat and wept. He had learned far too late in his cold and lonely grave, the grievous offence that his life had been to his worthy mighty creator. “Oh how gold and earthly treasures blind one to the real values of a life well spent in pursuit of goodness and contentment… for all. He sat and thought of his own brothers, sisters, mother, father and the kind arm hearted fiance he had neglected and fell away from. He thought of his current restless wanderings in which he observed all the need of necessities and the dire consequences of not having them. Why only this morning he had watched a ten year old boy be hanged for stealing a loaf of bread. He hung his head in sorrow and shame, took upon himself all his previous sinful existence and vowed “I will be entirely and thoroughly good toward Ebeneezer and save him from himself, he will be changed and not end up as I have done, bound and chained to all the falsehoods that the evil one has devised for the enslavement of men. He shall see a new kind of Christmas day, where he commits himself to sharing in the happiness and delight of the season with the whole of God’s wonderful creation. In this way all my sorrow, grief and severe wanting will not of happened in vain. I know that if by sacrificing myself I save even just one soul then I will have discovered the way to save all mankind.” Suddenly he became aware of three cheerful companions. He greeted each of them separately, warmly and heartily. In response they bid him commence the battle for the mind and soul of the man hiding away from them in the rooms above. Christmas Past beamed at him “We will visit him one at a time. Jacob, you will go first, then I at one, Christmas Present you will visit at Two, Future you will visit him last at the time you feel most conducive to his welfare.” And so as Jacob ascended those stairs rattling his chains, various boxes, binders and ledgers for ghostly effect the Christmas Story of saving the undeserving finally begun. Its conclusion was inevitable that good had prevailed. Good, however, is often rejected by men as evil (as portrayed by its instigator and chief champion) always pays better dividends, but then this is a lie, easily seen through if you know but how. Jacob had lain in the ground 7 months before the three things he needed in his new life came to him. A Father, a son and a silent one that pointed to all things new.
However, beyond the word limit (because of time at the ThoughtTree creative writing workshop being in short supply) there lies the opportunity to write the story in its entirety from the spirit of Jacob Marley’s point of view. Wow, now there is an interesting proposition. Marley gets a few paragraphs of words in Dicken’s most favourite (of mine) book. What does he think of what Ebeneezer says to the 2 gentlemen collecting funds for the poor? His pleadings with Christmas yet to come? the way he treats Bob Cratchett & Tiny Tim? and Tom Jenkins? Get writing Paul OPPORTUNITY IS RIFE!!
